Reverberations of Family Illness: a Longitudinal Assessment of Informal Caregiving and Mental Health Status in the Nurses' Health Study

Overview

Journal Am J Public Health

Specialty Public Health

Date 2002 Jul 30

PMID 12144989

Citations 41

Authors

Carolyn C Cannuscio

Camara Jones

Ichiro Kawachi

Graham A Colditz

Lisa Berkman

Eric Rimm

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: . This study examined the association between caregiving for disabled or ill family members, estimated to occur in more than 22 million US households, and change in mental health.

Methods: We assessed 4-year change in mental health among 37 742 Nurses' Health Study participants with the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36.

Results: Women who provided 36 or more weekly hours of care to a disabled spouse were almost 6 times more likely than noncaregivers to experience depressive or anxious symptoms (multivariate odds ratio [OR] = 5.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.8, 8.3). Caring for a disabled or ill parent (>or= 36 weekly hours) was associated with a less dramatic elevation in depressive or anxious symptoms (multivariate OR = 2.0; 95% CI = 0.9, 4.3).

Conclusions: In this population, caregiving was associated with increased risk of depressive or anxious symptoms.

Citing Articles

Caregiver burden and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in the Nurses' Health Studies.

Barnard M, Poole E, Huang T, Sood A, Kubzansky L, Tworoger S Am J Epidemiol. 2024; 194(2):362-369.

PMID: 38973733 PMC: 11815502. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwae185.

The mental health impact of school bullying among young carers in Australia: a causal mediation analysis.

Fleitas Alfonzo L, Singh A, Disney G, King T Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1):16788.

PMID: 37798299 PMC: 10555989. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43464-5.

The impact of childhood glaucoma on psychosocial functioning and quality of life: a review of the literature.

McLaughlin D, Semrov A, Munshi H, Patel A, Rahi J, Grajewski A Eye (Lond). 2023; 37(15):3157-3173.

PMID: 36949247 PMC: 10032631. DOI: 10.1038/s41433-023-02492-1.

COVID-19 disproportionately impacts access to basic needs among households with disabled members.

Streuli S, Garfein R, Gaines T, Fielding-Miller R Disabil Health J. 2023; 16(2):101443.

PMID: 36764843 PMC: 9851949. DOI: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2023.101443.

Factors associated with informal caregiving and its effects on health, work, and social activities of adult informal caregivers in Malaysia: findings from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019.

Kong Y, Anis-Syakira J, Jawahir S, Tan Y, Ab Rahman N, Tan E BMC Public Health. 2021; 21(1):1033.

PMID: 34074275 PMC: 8170800. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-11022-1.

References

Zarit S, Reever K . Relatives of the impaired elderly: correlates of feelings of burden. Gerontologist. 1980; 20(6):649-55. DOI: 10.1093/geront/20.6.649. View

Kiecolt-Glaser J, Glaser R . Chronic stress and mortality among older adults. JAMA. 1999; 282(23):2259-60. DOI: 10.1001/jama.282.23.2259. View

Berwick D, Murphy J, Goldman P, Ware Jr J, Barsky A, Weinstein M . Performance of a five-item mental health screening test. Med Care. 1991; 29(2):169-76. DOI: 10.1097/00005650-199102000-00008. View

Tennstedt S, Cafferata G, Sullivan L . Depression among caregivers of impaired elders. J Aging Health. 1992; 4(1):58-76. DOI: 10.1177/089826439200400104. View

Harrington C, CASSEL C, Estes C, Woolhandler S, Himmelstein D . A national long-term care program for the United States. A caring vision. The Working Group on Long-term Care Program Design, Physicians for a National Health Program. JAMA. 1991; 266(21):3023-9. View

McHorney C, Ware Jr J, Raczek A . The MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36): II. Psychometric and clinical tests of validity in measuring physical and mental health constructs. Med Care. 1993; 31(3):247-63. DOI: 10.1097/00005650-199303000-00006. View

Knight B, Lutzky S . A meta-analytic review of interventions for caregiver distress: recommendations for future research. Gerontologist. 1993; 33(2):240-8. DOI: 10.1093/geront/33.2.240. View

Rosenthal C, Sulman J, Marshall V . Depressive symptoms in family caregivers of long-stay patients. Gerontologist. 1993; 33(2):249-57. DOI: 10.1093/geront/33.2.249. View

Baumgarten M, Hanley J, Infante-Rivard C, Battista R, Becker R, Gauthier S . Health of family members caring for elderly persons with dementia. A longitudinal study. Ann Intern Med. 1994; 120(2):126-32. DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-120-2-199401150-00005. View

10.

Moen P, Robison J, FIELDS V . Women's work and caregiving roles: a life course approach. J Gerontol. 1994; 49(4):S176-86. DOI: 10.1093/geronj/49.4.s176. View

11.

King A, Oka R, Young D . Ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate responses to the stress of work and caregiving in older women. J Gerontol. 1994; 49(6):M239-45. DOI: 10.1093/geronj/49.6.m239. View

12.

Lieberman M, Fisher L . The impact of chronic illness on the health and well-being of family members. Gerontologist. 1995; 35(1):94-102. DOI: 10.1093/geront/35.1.94. View

13.

Toseland R, Blanchard C, McCallion P . A problem solving intervention for caregivers of cancer patients. Soc Sci Med. 1995; 40(4):517-28. DOI: 10.1016/0277-9536(94)e0093-8. View

14.

Abel E . "Man, woman, and chore boy": transformations in the antagonistic demands of work and care on women in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Milbank Q. 1995; 73(2):187-211. View

15.

Kiecolt-Glaser J, Glaser R, Gravenstein S, Malarkey W, Sheridan J . Chronic stress alters the immune response to influenza virus vaccine in older adults. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996; 93(7):3043-7. PMC: 39758. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.93.7.3043. View

16.

Vitaliano P, Scanlan J, Krenz C, Schwartz R, Marcovina S . Psychological distress, caregiving, and metabolic variables. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 1996; 51(5):P290-9. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/51b.5.p290. View

17.

Colditz G, Manson J, Hankinson S . The Nurses' Health Study: 20-year contribution to the understanding of health among women. J Womens Health. 1997; 6(1):49-62. DOI: 10.1089/jwh.1997.6.49. View

18.

Burton L, Newsom J, Schulz R, Hirsch C, German P . Preventive health behaviors among spousal caregivers. Prev Med. 1997; 26(2):162-9. DOI: 10.1006/pmed.1996.0129. View

19.

Yates M, Tennstedt S, Chang B . Contributors to and mediators of psychological well-being for informal caregivers. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 1999; 54(1):P12-22. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/54b.1.p12. View

20.

Hemingway H, Marmot M . Evidence based cardiology: psychosocial factors in the aetiology and prognosis of coronary heart disease. Systematic review of prospective cohort studies. BMJ. 1999; 318(7196):1460-7. PMC: 1115843. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.318.7196.1460. View